Belt-tightener.



A. 1. ADAMEK.

BELT TIGHTENERL APPLICATION FILED APR. 2i. IBM.

1 ,2'7Q,350, Patmted July 16, 1918.

naw/Aim UN E STATS.

vronn ana nn, on onrmvr, scorn DAKOTA.

BE r-rmnrnnna.

speeilication of ietters Patent.

Application filed April 21, 191 Serial No. 163,685.

To all whom itlmag concern:

Be itknown, that I, i\NTON E J. Aoimrnn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Orient, in the county of F aulk andStateof South Dakota,have invented certain newand useful Improvements in BeltrTightem ers,ofwhich the following is a, specification, reference being had to theaccompanying-drawings. i

This invention relates to an improvedbelt tightener and has for itsprimary: objectto provide an easily operated device for taking up slackin a driving belt when the'same becomes looseupon the pulleys, and;holdilng the end portions of the belt while the same are fastenedtogether.

It is another and more particular object of the invention to provide adevicefor the above purpose'including a body bar having means on one endfor clamping engagement withone end of the belt, a secondflclainpingdevice movable upon the body bar for en gagement with the other end ofthe belt, and niani'ially operable means for-imparting a step by. steprotation in anydirection to the latter clamp.

It is a further general object ofvthe invention to simplify and improvethe construction of devices of the above character, render the sameeasily applicable and serviceable in practical use, and capable of mamufacture at relatively small cost.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in thenovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts tobe hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved belt tightener;

Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4; of Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates the body bar of thedevice having an angularly disposed, longitudinally extending flange orweb 6 projecting from one face thereof. The longitudinal edges of thebar 5 are provided with spaced notches forming the shoulders 7 therein,said shoulders being arranged in spaced relation.

Upon one end of the bar 5, a transversely disposed frame 8 is integrallyformed and projects from one side of the bar. This frame has spaced,parallel portions, one of a en d J ly 9:1

larly disposed lugs 12. In these lugsfthe ends ofa rod 13 are fixed, andthe terminals of the rod are rotatably mounted in the ear 9 and in thebody of the frame 8. A coil spring 13 surrounds the rod 12and' bears atone of its ends against theclampingpl'ate 10'and at its other endagainst the frame 8.

14 designates aslide member which isdisposed upon one side of the'bodybar 5'and has the curved lugs or flanges 15 extending over the upper andlower edges of saidbar. This slide member is also provided with aclamping device, indicated at 16," which is identical in constructionwith the clamp on the body barabove describedin detail,

A lever 16 is disposed upon one side of the-bar 5, said lever havingretaining lugs 17 engaged upon the relatively opposite side of said bar.Between these lugs and the body of the lever, thedogs 18 are looselymounted upon the pins 19 for pivotal ovemen The ends 20 of the dogs areadapted forengagement with the shoulders upon the upper and lower edgesrespectively of the body bar. The other ends 21 of said dogs are curved,as shown, and by their sliding contact with the edges of the body bar inthe oscillation of the lever, the ends 20 of the dogs are caused toengage the shoulders 7 A link 22 is pivotally connected at one of itsends, as at 23, to the lever 16' between the pivot bolts 19, while theother end of said lever is pivotally connected, as at 24;, to one end ofthe slide member 14. The lever 16 has a suitable handle 25 formed uponone of its ends, whereby the lever may be conveniently actuated.

In the use of the device, the ends of the belt to be stretched ortightened are engaged between the oscillatable spring-pressed plates 10of the respective clamping devices, and upon the release of the plates,the springs act to tightly clamp the ends of the belt between themovable clamping plates and one arm of the respective frames 8 in whichthe plates are mounted. The lever 16 is now actuated by oscillating thesame alternately in opposite directions so that the pivot bolts 19 ofthe dogs alternately serve as fulcrums for the lever, the inactive dowhich is not engaged with the shoulders at one edge of the lever beingmovable with the lever, while the other of the dogs remains stationary.In this oscillation of the lever, the slide member 14- is, of course,moved longitudinally step by step alongthe body bar 5, and the belt isthus stretched or tightened around the pulleys on which it is engaged.The slack in the belt is thus taken up and the ends of the belt securelyfastened together in any suitable or well known manner,

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, the construction, manner, of use, and severaladvantages of the device willbe clearly and. fully understood. It willbe seen that I have produced a very simply constructed, durable, andserviceable belt tightener which can be. very easily and quickly appliedto the belt or removed after the stretching operation. The severalelements, are all of very simple form and it will, therefore, bemanifest that the invention can be manufactured at relatively smallvcost.

While Iv have herein shown and describedv the preferred construction andarrangement of theseveral parts, it 1s to be understood that the sameare susceptible of considerable modification therein and I, therefore,reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may befairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim andsecure by Letters Patent is:

A belt tightener including a body bar substantially; T-shaped in crosssection, the

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Petenta,.

longitudinal marginal portions of the head of said bar being providedwith spaced notches to afford shoulders, the shoulders of one marginbeing in staggered relation relative to the shoulders of the secondmargin, a lever having an end portion overlying the outer face of thehead of the bar and provided with lugs underlying the longitudinalmargins of the head of the bar, arcuate dogs arranged at opposite sidesof the head of the bar, each of said dogs being pivotally on gagedintermediate its length with the lever, one end of each of the dogsbeing engageable with the adjacent shoulders in the bar andthe oppositeend of said dog contacting with the adjacent; longitudinal edge of thehead of the bar, a slide mounted upon thehead of the bar, a linkpivotally engaged at one end with a lever at a point midway betweenthe'pivotal connections of the dogs with thelever, the opposite end ofthe link being pivotally engaged with the slide. at substantially thetransverse center of the head of the bar, belt clampingmeans ex tendingupwardly from the slide, and belt clamping means carried by an endportion of the head of the bar, said lever being po-f sitioned betweenthe clamping means car ried by the bar and the slide and capable ofswinging movement and movement longitudinally of the bar.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiiX my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

ANTONE J. ADAMEK.

Washington, D. G.

